How to Install Node.js on Debian 11

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Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment that allows developers to build fast and scalable server-side and networking applications. In this guide, we will explain how to install the latest Node.js v24 (Current) on Debian 11 using Docker.

Update System Packages

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First, update your system packages to ensure everything is up to date.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install Docker

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Node.js will be installed inside a Docker container. If you do not already have Docker installed on your system, install it with the following commands:

# Install GPG
sudo apt install -y gnupg2

# Add Docker's official GPG key
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker.gpg

# Set up Docker stable repository
echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/debian bullseye stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

# Update apt
sudo apt update

# Install Docker
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

Enable and start Docker

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sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

Output:

root@vps:~# sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker
Synchronizing state of docker.service with SysV service script with /lib/systemd/systemd-sysv-install.
Executing: /lib/systemd/systemd-sysv-install enable docker

Verify Docker installation

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docker --version

Output:

root@vps:~# docker --version
Docker version 28.3.3, build 980b856

Pull Node.js 24 Docker Image

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Download the latest Node.js (Current) image (Alpine-based for minimal size):

docker pull node:24-alpine

Output:

root@vps:~# docker pull node:24-alpine
24-alpine: Pulling from library/node
9824c27679d3: Pull complete
3126b83620d1: Pull complete
3896391fbd35: Pull complete
0e254d606f0d: Pull complete
Digest: sha256:51dbfc749ec3018c7d4bf8b9ee65299ff9a908e38918ce163b0acfcd5dd931d9
Status: Downloaded newer image for node:24-alpine
docker.io/library/node:24-alpine

Start Node.js Container

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Run a Node.js container with interactive shell access:

docker run -it --rm --entrypoint sh node:24-alpine

This will open a shell inside the container.

Verify Node.js and npm Versions

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Inside the container, check the installed versions:

node -v

Output:

v24.6.0

npm -v

Output:

11.5.1

Run a Test Node.js Script

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To confirm Node.js is working, create a simple test file.

echo "console.log('Hello from Node.js on Debian 11 via Docker!');" > test.js
node test.js

Output:

Hello from Node.js on Debian 11 via Docker!

Conclusion

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You have successfully installed Node.js v24 (Current) with npm on Debian 11 using Docker.